Illuminated sign



Nov. 8, 1938. Q sw so 2,135,859

ILLUMINATED SIGN Filed June 12, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I Ewenor flaw/k6lam/M072 Nov. 8, 1938. c. E. SWANSON ILLUMINATED SIGN Filed June 12,1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 8, 1938 v UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE 2,135,859 murmurs!) SIGN Application June 12, 1937, Serial No.147,828

Claims. (Cl. 40-180) My present invention relates to improvements insigns and has special reference to the provision of a sign havingchangeable and removable illuminated characters of indicia.

5 It has long been known that lights introduced into the end of a glassrod or the edge of a glass plate will be largely transmitted to theopposite end or edge of the rod or plate, and but a small portion of thelight so introduced will escape from no the lateral face or faces of theglass. This is so even when the rod or plate is bent so that the lighttransmitted through the body of the glass proceeds around curves orconvolutions.

I have discovered that while the light travell5 ing through the body ofthe glass illuminates the surface of the glass but slightly, it willilluminate light diffusing materia placed in the body of the glass or inintimate contact with one face thereof, If suchlight diffusing materialis in intimate 20 contact with one face of the glass through which lightis proceeding, it will appear under good illumination through theopposite face of the glass, or if such light diffusing material islocated centrally of the glass through which light g5 is proceeding, itwill be visible through both the lateral surfaces of the glass.

So as to make the glass characters or indicia more luminous from one orboth sides I provide in the body of the glass, or at one surface, a ma-30 terial of good light diffusing characteristics in order that theconsiderably greater portion of light passing directly through the glasswill strike the light diffusing material and thereby cause a muchgreater proportion of the light to be dis- 35 charged from the lateralface or faces of the characters or indicia.

Characters constructed in accordance with the teaching of thisspecification may be cast from glass with sturdy proportions and willlast ino definitely in use and will only be destroyed by an accidentinvolving considerable force.

As will hereafter be seen, the bases of characters or indicia employedin my sign are, preferably, of uniform length, which, preferably, areas- 45 long as the width of the widest letters or indicia so employed.

For supporting the characters or indicia in desired side by siderelation and supplying the necessary illumination thereto, I provide abase 50 with a channel of suitable width to receive and engage the basesof the characters or indicia and directly under this channel and housedwithin the base I preferably provide an electric incandescent bulb ofthe character which has been given .5 the trade name LumiLine, which hasthe filament running from end to end of the lamp between contacts at therespective ends of the lamp tube.

I have attained the above indicated objects by means of the structureillustrated in the accom- 5 panying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is anelevation of a housing and letters or indicia embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the structure illustrated in Fig.1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse character having the light diffusing mediumapplied to one of its lateral faces.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section through a letter in which the lightdiffusing material is cemented between plates of glass.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section of a character provided interiorly with alight diffusing medium.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of such a character.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout therespective views.

The lamp housing may be relatively small in section and for mostoccasions should be longitudinally extended. The base may convenientlycomprise a bottom wall l0 and side walls H-ll conveniently bent orbroken from a strip of metal of suitable size. The upper edges of theside walls are preferably bent back inwardly upon each other at |lai idto provide greater strength and rigidity at these points. At the ends ofthe side walls are provided transverse brackets lZ-l2, the ends of whichare bent downwardly and secured to the side walls by soldering or spotwelding, or in any other desired way. 7 5

Screwed, or otherwise attached, to the transverse brackets are angledtop pieces l3--l3, the upstanding flanges of which are spaced from eachother and constitute a slot for receiving the bases of the characters orindicia. 40

For supporting the LumiLine lamp, which may be any desired length, Iprovide a table consisting of a top I4 and side walls l5--l5conveniently bent from a. single strip of metal. The lower edges of theside walls I5i5 are secured to the inner surface of the bottom wall illof the casing in any desired way, and the ends of the top are,preferably, bent downwardly and then upwardly, as at It, to providebrackets for mounting the sockets for the ends of the LumiLine cu lamps.The top surface of the table ll isprovided with a layer or coating ll oflight diffusing material such as a light diffusing paint so as todiifuse light coming from the lamps downwardly back upwardly to the slotwhich receives the $6 bases of the charactersor indicia. The characiersor indicia are, preferably, cast from glass, or other suitabletransparent light transmitting material.

When it is desired to exhibit the sign from one side only the lettersmay be made of plain transparent glass, the back or side opposite to thedisplay side being provided with a coating or layer ll of lightdiffusing material such as a light diffusing paint. If it is desired todisplay both faces of the characters or indicia the characters may beeither cast about a central layer of light diffusing material or thecharacters may be made in front and back pieces which are cemented toopposite sides of a layer of light diffusing material.

A sign provided as herein illustrated and described will permit of thealteration of the position of the display characters in any way and asoften as may be desired with a minimum of trouble and expense. Thecharacters or indicia of such a sign are the only parts thereof whichare illuminated and the light diffusing material, which causes theillumination of the sides of the characters, being either embeddedwithin the characters or attached intimately to one surface thereof, isnot liable to injury or deterioration from atmospheric or chemicalcauses. The heat accompanying the distribution of illumination, asherein described, is inconsiderable, being very much less than theradiation from an incandescent lamp.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

l. A sign comprising the combination of a housing having a flanged orchannel opening and a source of light mounted therein, and a removableindicium formed of a light transmitting material and having alight-transmitting surface on the obverse side thereof, said indiciumhaving a base substantially coextensive with the width thereofpositioned in said flanged opening; said base, substantially throughoutits entirely, being capable of receiving light from the light source andtransmitting it into the body of the indicium', and light difiusingmaterial adhering to some of the surfaces of the indicium to diffuse thelight passed into the body of the indicium to cause it to pass out ofthe light transmitting surface thereof.

2. A sign comprising the combination of a housing having a flanged orchannel opening and a source of light mounted therein, and a removableindicium formed of a light transmitting material and having a lighttransmitting surface, said indicium having a base substantially co-2,1ss,asc

extensive with the width thereof positioned in said flanged opening,said base, substantially throughout its entirety, being capable ofreceiving light from the light source and transmitting it into the bodyof the indicium, and light diffusing material provided over the surfacesof said indicium adjacent to said light transmitting surface other thanthose in the path of the light passing through the base whereby thelight passing into said indicium is diffused and caused to pass throughthe said light transmitting surface.

3. A sign comprising the combination of a housing having a flanged orchannel opening and a source of light mounted therein and a removableletter or indicium formed of a light transmitting-material and having alighttransmitting surface, said letter or indicium having a base of awidth substantially coextensive with the width thereof positioned withinsaid flanged opening, said base and the surfaces of the letter orindicium adjacent to and/or opposed to the top surface of the base beingcapable of receiving light from the light source and permitting it topass into the letter or indicium, and substantially all of the othersurfaces of said letter or indicium being'provided with a material whichdifluses the light and causes it-to pass out of the light transmittingsurface.

4. A sign comprising the combination of a housing having a flanged orchannel opening and a source of light mounted therein, and a removableindicium formed of a light transmitting material and having a lighttransmitting surface on the obverse side thereof, said indicium having abase positioned in said flanged opening, said base, substantiallythroughout its entirety, being capable of receiving light from the lightsource and transmitting it'into thebody of the indicium, and lightdiffusing material adhering to a surface of the indicium to diffuse thelight passed into the body of the indicium to cause it to pass out ofthe light transmitting surface thereof.

5. Indicium, adapted to be used incombination with a source of light fordisplay purposes, formed of a light-transmitting material and hav ing alight-transmitting surface on the obverse side thereof, said indiciumhaving a base adapted to receive light from the light sourcesubstantially throughout its entirety and transmit it into the body ofthe indicium, and light diifusing material adhering to a surface of theindicium to diffuse the light passed into the body of the indicium andcause it to pass out of the light transmitting surface thereof.

cmnuzs a. Swanson;

